Take my Hand
by Wolffury
Summary: After years of uncertainty, Rika decides to act on her feelings and ask a certain gogglehead to dance with her. Some Rukato fluff I wrote for Valentine's Day. May turn this into a series of one-shots.


_**So I wanted to write some Rukato fluff for Valentine's Day. Then one day I was listening to a song and thought it fit surprisingly well with this pairing. I'm curious if any of you can guess what the song is while reading.**_

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 **Take my Hand**

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You never would have guessed that something was wrong with her life by looking from the outside. She was living the life that her peers often dreamed of. Her family was rich, her mother was a famous model, and she was surrounded by trophies that identified her as the best. But even with everything she had, even after she had gained a sister-in-arms, nothing about her life felt right.

For years her existence had been one of cold and isolation. Bright summer days had become clouded and dull, as if an eternal night had consumed the skies of her life. Her heart was caught in a stage of everlasting winter as she searched for something to fill the hole that had been left. Never attachments though. She sought nothing like that after her most trusted one had abandoned her.

That is…until she met that boy.

She remembered it plain as day. She had sent her partner to attack his best friend. They had fought and scuffled, but even after multiple attacks he refused to fight her. At one point, he even _saved_ her despite the fact that she didn't deserve saving. And he continued saving her, even at times when he didn't know he was. Something about him shone to her and sparked the faintest glimmer of something she hadn't felt in years.

 _Hope_.

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The school gymnasium was bathed in pink and purple light as the crowds shuffled and shifted across the dance floor. Tables draped in white cloth were seated against the side, a few partygoers sitting at them as they drank some punch and ate their appetizers. Bushels of pink, white, and purple balloons hung from the ceiling, connected by similarly colored streamers. The soft rhythm of a jazz number echoed off the walls for the occupants to enjoy.

She stood in the corner of the gymnasium as her violet eyes looked through the crowds and remained locked on a certain shaggy haired boy. He didn't know she was there, nobody knew she was there, and no one would have guessed it was her. She dug her hands into the pockets of the long coat she adorned to hide what she wore underneath. She was hardly the person who liked to wear dresses. This time though, she was willing to swallow her pride and make an exception for him.

In the time since they became friends she had never left his side. She had looked out for him and his clumsy nature, making sure he never fell too hard. She'd protected him from the bullies and naysayers that tried to beat him down. They had watched each other's backs in countless battles, from the Devas to the D-Reaper and even an invasion of Parasimon. When he needed help with anything, she was the first one he called and she was the first one to answer, albeit not always with the best solution. She stood by him, secretly wanting him to notice her as perhaps something…more.

The world was brighter every second she was with him, whether it was just talking, playing cards, or fighting violent monsters. On her darkest days, he was the one who could put a smile in her heart, even if she was reluctant to show it on her face. She could be the poorest person in the world without a yen to her name, but if he was by her side then she had everything. She had never felt this way about anyone else before.

She didn't know exactly when it had happened, when these feelings were planted in her heart. For the first couple of years she had brushed them off as nothing. A strange attraction to him and a protectiveness she didn't feel towards the others. As puberty hit them she began to catch herself staring at his face as it developed, becoming longer and slightly more angled. His crimson eyes were dark jewels that she could stare into for hours. As the feelings continued growing with time she continued to push them away, telling herself that they were nothing but a schoolgirl crush. He didn't like her that way. His heart didn't belong to her, and she didn't dare risk ruining the one friendship she treasured above all. After all…what did she know about love?

After her father had left, she had abandoned the concept all together. In the days after his leaving she had even gone so far as to make its opposite her symbol. Blaming the emotion as the source of the hole that had been left in her heart. The hole that was still there to this day, only having become more bearable over time and the meeting of her current friends. She inwardly chuckled at how her opinions of the feeling had changed. In her youth it had been something without logic, or meaning, or use. But now it was her dream.

She watched him as he sluggishly poured himself some more punch. His head hung at an angle so that his bangs dangled in front of his eyes, not held back by the goggles that were usually atop his forehead. He walked over to a table and slumped into a chair. He swirled his beverage around before taking a small sip and drearily looking out across the dance floor. She broke her gaze to follow his line of sight to a girl dancing with another guy: his ex-girlfriend as of a few weeks ago.

When she first heard that she broke up with him, she hadn't felt relief as other girls would have. She felt sorry for him, knowing how hard emotional events like this could hit the boy. She had given him what little comfort she could over the phone, having little experience with these kinds of dilemmas, before giving him time to deal with the emotions. There was only so much that could be done with words, and anything more would feel like taking advantage of his depressed state. She would step back, ready to catch him should he need her to. She felt that enough time had passed now and giving him space had improved his mood less than she had hoped. Perhaps he didn't need someone to be a step behind him, but instead needed someone to stand beside him.

She shifted her gaze back to him as she took a few breaths before pulling off her coat. She hung it on the rack before brushing a hand through her hair. She looked down at her shoes, glad that she hadn't let her mom convince her to wear high heels. Her heartbeat quickened in fear at what she was about to do. She turned in his direction before closing her eyes, clutching something in her fist, and taking one last deep breath.

Years ago he had created his best friend from a dream. She hadn't believed him when he first told her. Back then she had a hard time believing in anything, especially that dreams could become reality. Now though, she was willing to believe that this dream could become reality, but only if she had the courage to dare and make it so.

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He sat in his chair, swirling his punch around in its plastic cup as he watched his ex and her date dance. He still wasn't quite over his first break-up, especially having been in a relationship with her for a few years now. For months though, something had felt off with their relationship. He just wasn't sure what he had done wrong. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Perhaps he was meant to be alone.

There was a dull _thump_ as he felt something snap onto his head. He immediately raised a hand and felt a familiar shape on his forehead. He pulled the goggles forward a bit and saw that they were almost exactly like the ones he had worn when he was younger.

"There, now you look much better," said a voice from beside him.

He turned and his eyes widened amazement as he beheld the girl who had been his best human friend since he was ten. Her hair was down in a simple fashion behind her back, with a few strands falling in front of her shoulders, and a small sakura blossom above her right ear. She was wearing a white dress that came down to just past her knees. It wasn't complex or revealing like some of the other girls' dresses were. It was simple yet elegant, and she looked gorgeous in it.

He just stared slack jawed at her as his mind raced to comprehend what was going on. _She_ was _here_ and wearing a _dress, a DRESS!_ He only then noticed that he had spilled his punch on his pant leg. He quickly set his drink down and grabbed some napkins to try and clean it up. His mother was going to kill him for ruining his only suit.

He froze though when he heard snickering. He turned and saw her with her hand covering her mouth as she tried to retain her laugh. He remembered it being adorable the few times he had heard it previously. He wasn't sure why she didn't laugh more often. Then again, that was all a part of what made her, well _her_.

Once her snickering had died down, she lowered her hand. Instead of letting it fall to her side though, she held it out to him instead. He just looked at it in confusion before raising his sight to meet her lavender eyes.

"So, do you want to dance or what?" she asked him. Her cheeks turned slightly pink and he could detect the faintest of nervousness in her voice.

He just stared at her with a stunned look on his face as his mind tried to comprehend what was happening. _She_ was asking _him_ to dance.

His mind then began to piece it together as flashes of memory raced through his head. Her fending off some bullies that were picking on him and assuring him they were just jealous. Leaning back in a chair and kicking her feet up while listening to music so he could practice his drawing. Fighting back to back against a horde of monsters. Always willing to lend an ear whenever he had a problem and just being there for him. Her standing here now, when he was at his lowest, wearing a dress and asking him to dance.

Maybe that was what felt off about his previous relationship. Perhaps they weren't meant to be together, because he had been unknowingly falling for someone else. Someone that he once doubted he would ever have a chance with. A girl that he had thought to be out of his league, and thus was overlooked due to his own lack of self-confidence. All these years the girl he truly loved had been standing right next to him.

A smile grew on his face as he gently took her hand and stood up. The current song ended and a new one began as they made their way to the dance floor. All eyes turned to them as the red-haired tomboy and her gogglehead dance partner took the floor and began to dance till dawn.

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 _ **Inspired by:**_ **Shine - RWBY Vol. 2 Soundtrack**

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 _ **I feel like I could have written this better but I can't think of how, plus I have a midterm and a final coming up so that doesn't help. So please leave a review if you have any constructive criticism or ideas on how I could improve this and I might re-upload it next year. I might also turn this into a series of one-shots later on.**_

 _ **In the mean time though, Happy Valentine's Day everyone.**_


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